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Artist Bios
Guylaine Lemaire – viola
One of Canada's busiest musicians, Guylaine Lemaire performs as a chamber musician and as an orchestral player appearing at virtually every major Canadian festival including the Festival de Lanaudière, Festival of the Sound, Festival de musique de Lachine, Musique de chambre à Ste Pétronille, Festival international du Domaine Forget, Festival Canada at the National Arts Centre, and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. She is heard regularly on CBC Radio and Radio Canada. Each of her five recordings with the Chamber Players of Canada has received the full five stars on the CBC show Sound Advice. Her recording of Schubert's Trout Quintet was named one of the top five classical recordings of 2005 by La Presse. Her recording of the Chopin piano concertos in their chamber music versions was named one of the top ten classical recordings of 2005 by the Ottawa Citizen. She has performed across Canada and around the world with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Thirteen Strings.
Jane Logan – viola
Ottawa became home for American violist Jane Logan in 1971 when she accepted a position in the viola section of the then two-year-old National Arts Centre Orchestra. Since then she has become well known for her extensive chamber music activity and as a teacher, both private and as a faculty member at the University of Ottawa. In 1980, she became principal viola of the NAC Orchestra and has been heard as soloist with the Orchestra both in Ottawa and on tour. She is a graduate of Carleton College (Minnesota) and Yale University, and also studied at the Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood, and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Her major teachers included Broadus Erle, Bruno Giuranna, David Schwarz and Lillian Fuchs.
Peter Longworth – piano
An acclaimed solo performer, chamber musician and teacher, Peter Longworth has performed in Canada, the United States and Europe. He has been soloist with the Chicago Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic and other Canadian orchestras. He has appeared at the Caramoor Music Festival (New York), was artist-in-residence and featured soloist at the Icicle Creek Music Festival (Washington), and plays annually at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. He is a founding member of the Duke Trio that has performed in New York, Chicago and throughout Canada. He is heard often on CBC and his recordings include a collaboration with cellist Amanda Forsyth and a forthcoming Duke Trio recording of Shostakovich and Copland. He teaches at the Glenn Gould School of Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music, maintains a private studio, and is in demand as chamber coach and adjudicator at competitions and festivals. He began his piano studies in Brussels and completed his studies at the Royal Conservatory with Marek Jablonski, Leon Fleisher and Marc Durand.
Myron Lutzke – cello
Myron Lutzke is well known as a performer on both the period and modern cello. He studied at Brandeis University and graduated from the Juilliard School where he worked with Leonard Rose and Harvey Shapiro. He is currently principal cello of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York Collegium and American Classical Orchestra. He is also a member of the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Loma Mar Quartet, Mozartean Players, Aulos Ensemble, Bach Ensemble, and Esterhazy Machine. For the past 28 summers, he has been artist-in-residence at the Caramoor Festival and has performed as soloist at the Caramoor, Ravinia, Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart festivals. A former teacher at the Brixen-Initiative in Brixen, Italy, he is on the faculties of State University of New York, Purchase College and Mannes College of Music in New York, where he teaches baroque cello and performance. He has recorded extensively.
Andrew Mah – guitar
Andrew Mah is widely praised for his virtuosity and versatility. Born in Ottawa to a family of guitarists, he has performed professionally for more than 15 years, touring France in 1990 with the ensemble Guitares Nouvelle France and premiering early works of Canadian guitarist/composer Patrick Roux. In 2005, he was the first musician from the Americas ever to tour the Republic of Cape Verde, and subsequently spent two months on a project studying the national guitar and music styles with composer Vasco Martins and guitar legends Bau and Voginha. He is currently collaborating with composers Roddy Ellias (Ottawa) and Vasco Martins on creating and performing new repertoire for the guitar. In 2005/06, he premiered works written especially for him, was heard in a solo concert on CBC Radio, and performed, as soloist and chamber musician, two concerts at Yale University. Upcoming is a tour of eastern Canada under the auspices of Debut Atlantic, and plans are underway for a European concerto tour in 2008.
Dina Michelson Namer – piano
A versatile soloist and chamber musician, Dina Namer has performed and recorded repertoire ranging from Baroque harpsichord to contemporary Canadian works. In her long-time association with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, she has collaborated in the Music for a Sunday Afternoon series with many renowned musicians such as Bernard Greenhouse, Andrew Dawes and Felix Galimir. As chamber musician, she has been a member of the Aulos Ensemble, a trio for flute, clarinet and piano, the Ottawa Baroque Ensemble, and the Sh’ma Ensemble, a group dedicated to performing works of composers who died in the Holocaust. Since 1995, she has performed at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and Festival of the Lakes in Alexandria, Minnesota. Recent performance highlights include Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in Alexandria and the Brandenburg Concertos (harpsichord) with the Kingston Symphony. Heard frequently on Minnesota Public Radio, CBC and Radio-Canada, she also teaches at Carleton University, adjudicates for music festivals and competitions, and runs a busy private studio.
Paule Préfontaine – violin
Paule Préfontaine is a member of Thirteen Strings, regularly plays with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and since 2005 has been a co-founding member of the Lumière String Quartet. She has enjoyed a versatile career as recitalist, soloist, orchestral player and chamber musician. She has performed chamber music throughout Canada, Norway, Sweden, Austria and Finland, and in broadcasts on CBC Radio and the Norwegian Radio Kringkasting. As a member of the renowned Tafelmusik, she toured Europe, Canada and the United States, appearing as soloist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In her orchestral career, she has been concertmaster of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre des Jeunes du Québec, and the MusikBarock Ensemble in Winnipeg. She toured Scandinavia, Europe and Japan as assistant concertmaster of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. She is an active teacher both privately and at the University of Ottawa.
Wanda Procyshyn – soprano
Wanda Procyshyn is admired and praised for her vocal versatility, her interpretative and dramatic gifts, and her outstanding ensemble work. She has collaborated with reputable period ensembles such as the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, Ensemble Arion, La Chapelle de Québec and Les Violons du Roy. She has performed at the Boston Early Music Festival, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, International Festival of Baroque Music in Lamèque, New Brunswick, and the Elora Festival. Many of her performances have been broadcast by the CBC and Radio-Canada. She holds a Master of Music degree in early music performance from McGill University and received additional training at the Carmel Bach Festival in California and the Britten-Pears Institute in England. A dedicated singing teacher to a number of adults, she has also given several successful vocal workshops for choristers across the National Capital Region. And, she is the devoted mother of two young children.
Joel Quarrington – double bass
Joel Quarrington, formerly principal double bass of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, will be joining the National Arts Centre Orchestra as principal double bass in September 2006. He previously led the bass sections of the Hamilton Philharmonic and Canadian Opera Company orchestras. Acclaimed as Canada’s foremost double bassist and one of the world’s leading players, he has made solo appearances in Canada, the United States, Europe and China. He has played concertos with many Canadian orchestras including the Toronto, Edmonton and Winnipeg symphony orchestras and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. As chamber musician, he is much sought after by music festivals throughout North America. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, in Italy and in Austria. He teaches at the Royal Conservatory and National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He plays an Italian double bass made in 1630 by the Brescian master Giovanni Paulo Maggini.
Pamela Reimer – piano
Pamela Reimer pursues a diverse career as soloist and collaborator, playing traditional and contemporary repertoire. She has performed across Canada and the eastern United States, in New Zealand, Austria and Switzerland. As collaborator with singers and instrumentalists, she has been official accompanist for the Jeunesses Musicales International Violin Competition, played for master classes at the Orford Arts Centre, and also with orchestras, notably the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Devoted to contemporary music and interdisciplinary arts, she has premiered Canadian works at new music symposiums, collaborated in 2004 with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens for the premiere of Polyphonia, and worked with composer Mark Warhol and the Warhol Ensemble to present the Sortis de prison cabaret. On faculty at Plattsburgh State University since 1995, she taught at McGill University in 2000-01. She has participated in chamber music residencies and educational concerts and adjudicated at Concordia University. She holds a doctorate in contemporary theatrical piano music performance from the Université de Montréal.
Elizabeth Simpson – horn
Elizabeth Simpson started performing with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1982 as assistant principal horn and has been fourth horn player since 1992. She has toured and recorded with the Orchestra. She is a member of Capital BrassWorks and also a founding member of the Bel Canto Wind Quintet that has presented successful concert series in Ottawa and is often heard on CBC Radio and Radio-Canada as well as at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. She has taught at various Ottawa institutions including the University of Ottawa, National Capital Music Academy and Arts Canterbury Program, and performs in the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Music in the Schools program in both the Ragtime Brass Sextet and the Bel Canto Wind Quintet. A graduate of the University of Ottawa and Indiana University, she studied with renowned horn players Daniel Gress, Philip Farkas, Meir Rimon, Michael Hatfield and Arnold Jacobs.
Paul Stewart – piano
Since his orchestral debut in 1981 with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as a last-minute substitute for an indisposed pianist, Paul Stewart has performed with major orchestras in Canada and abroad and has been heard in recital throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. In 1993, he was Canada’s representative at the international festival in honour of Queen Sirikit of Thailand. A major tour of Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea followed. Well known in Canada for his radio and television appearances, and internationally through the BBC, he has been heard in partnership with such distinguished artists as Maureen Forrester, Jessye Norman and Ben Heppner. Chamber music, lecturing and teaching are also important parts of his active career. Since 1996, he has played every year at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. His acclaimed recordings include music by Schubert, Rachmaninov, Medtner and Britten. He is Professor of Piano at the Université de Montréal.
Jennifer Swartz – harp
Acclaimed Canadian harpist Jennifer Swartz enjoys an active career as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician and teacher. She is principal harp of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Assistant Professor of Harp at McGill University. Performing regularly as a concerto soloist with orchestras across Canada, she made her Carnegie Hall debut as concerto soloist with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. She appears as featured recitalist throughout Canada and is heard frequently on CBC broadcasts. She participates in many chamber music festivals and recitals performing with renowned chamber ensembles and notable artists. Her distinguished discography include La Strada, a recording of Nino Rota’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, that was nominated for a 2004 Juno and won the 2004 Prix Opus for best classical recording of the year. Theseus, for Harp and String Quartet, recorded with the Molinari String Quartet, was awarded the 2004 Prix Opus for best contemporary recording of the year.
David Thies-Thompson – violin
A member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1990, David Thies-Thompson has been active on Ottawa’s music scene as recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with the Orchestra, Thirteen Strings and the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra. He performs regularly as associate concertmaster of Thirteen Strings and the Opera Lyra Orchestra, and as guest concertmaster of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. He has been Music Director of the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra since 1999. He also teaches and coaches youth and adult amateurs in the community. A Suzuki student at age seven, he studied with Sydney Humphreys at the Victoria Conservatory of Music in Victoria, BC. An Associate of the Conservatory and also of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, he pursued further studies at the Banff Centre, Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Eastman School of Music and McGill University. His professional career began at age 15 in the Victoria Symphony, and in 1988, he joined Symphony Nova Scotia.
Colin Traquair – trombone
Colin Traquair began playing the trombone at the age of eight. He studied at the University of Northern Colorado and received his master’s degree from Northwestern University, where he worked with Frank Crisafulli. He also studied with Christhard Gossling, principal trombone of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been second trombone of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1989 and has performed with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Nova Scotia. He is a founding member of Capital BrassWorks, an ensemble that presents a concert series in Ottawa every season. He is also a Yamaha performing artist.
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